Though that board will float you and your rig, I would suggest
something else for a beginner (even an accomplished yachtswomen).
You haven't defined how much
of a beginner you are (some lessons), nor your typical conditions,
but, that board is designed for someone who can plane in the harness
and straps, and wants to go fast.

It might be OK if your typical wind is always 18MPH or more, your water
is dead flat, you have the reflexes of Spiderman. and you
have a lot of spare time to spend in the water, but a better beginner
board would be something in the 150 ltr range that is much wider, and has
a center board, and a lot of deck padding.

My guess is that you'd break that board in short order from a mast whack
whilst getting powered up, not to mention the frustration of trying to uphaul it.

What did you take your lessons on, and what was the last skill you learned?

-Craig

kiwisailor wrote:

Hi,

Would a Seatrend Board 275 m long, 103 litres be suitable for a beginner?

It is an advanced board, intended for someone who can sail in the harness and footstraps and who can waterstart. Not saying you couldn't sail it, but it will be a challenge to say the least. Be prepared for a lot of swimming- there are certainly much more appropriate boards out there. On the bright side, when you do manage to get it on plane, you will instantly be addicted to windurfing for life.

Regardless of your youth and light weight, a 100 liter shortboard will be extremely "sinky" and difficult to stand on, and nearly impossible to make "go" anywhere.

I know you want to challenge yourself so you can progress fast, but a 100 liter board is so far above your current level it will be basically unusable, preventing you from progressing at all.

Look for a longboard with a daggerboard. If you can't find an affordable one of those, at least get a shortboard with 130+ liters volume. The link in my signature can help you choose a size that's appropriate to your body weight.

Will only work if you are learning in a high wind environment with a lot of expert sailors around to model and learn to water start FIRST as your first skill. I know of 2 people who learned on this type of board and in this way, both athletic and persistent persons who did this in the gorge and realized that the progression was to go directly to planing shortboard sailing. They flailed water start for many sessions, thats all they did, but then learned quickly. Will not work in low winds most beginners want to sail in. dhmark

Would this be suitable for a beginner who has had some lessons, a yachtswomen, a student with hardly any money to spend on a new set, and a young (early 20's) 58kg female?

Thanks

Let me offer a different take on your questions, in case you're doubtful of the advice above:

NO!!!

That board is FAR too small, WAY too fragile, and a good way to damage a friendship. It is PRO RACING gear ... two features you want nothing to do with for MANY reasons. Even if you weighed 58 pounds it would be a very poor choice; heck, it is a very poor choice for many experts for multiple reasons because it so highly specialized. Your prowess on yachts will compound the challenge, because you will expect immediate success.

FAR better boards for any beginner are very cheap. because people either genuinely outgrow them or move up to flashier toys too soon. You will have MUCH more fun and learn to windsurf MUCH sooner on a board with a daggerboard, and they should be gathering dust in many garages and sheds near you.

If you are tempted to buy it despite our stern warnings, please let us know so we can tell you what we REALLY think of putting this extremely demanding, VERY fragile, rough riding, evil-handling (for a novice), totally unsuitable board and those equally unsuitable, fussy, demanding, hard-to-rig, highly specialized race sails in a novice's hands. I've only been windsurfing very seriously for 33 years, and I have no use for a board that specialized and finicky. The combination is FAR more likely to induce tears than smiles for any novice or intermediate.

The board looks like one of the ATV's from the old days. Hated those things although they were popular._________________The Time a Person Spends Windsurfing is not Deducted from their Lifespan...
http://www.openocean.com

It's an Accelerator, circa 1998. WSMag categorized it as a race/slalom board, very narrow and sharp-railed, and rated its ding resistance as a 1 on a scale of 10. I.e., in the hands of a mere intermediate to advanced sailor, it should come with a box of fiberglass, resin, sandpaper, a repair book, and a case of Steinlager.

While the board would be very very challenging to learn on, it's not that bad of a board for a person that has a good handle on intermediate skills (consistent waterstarts, comfortable planing in the footstraps and efficient jibes and/or tacks). However, if you look beyond the board itself, there is a lot good gear included in the package. If you are dedicated and very serious about learning the sport of windsurfing, it might be worth it to buy the package. If you have spent some time looking at new windsurfing gear, or even stuff in good used condition, you have to know that windsurfing can be a bit on the expensive side. I would venture to say that if you can get everything for $300 or less, it might be worth considering as a long term investment.

Needless to say though, you would need to acquire or borrow a much higher volume board that would be more suitable for learning the rudimentary basics of the sport, and it would be best if it included a retractable daggerboard to give you stability and a good directional capability in light winds while learning. To learn, it's not unreasonable to think you would need to spend a few months, or possibly a season or more developing dependable skills suitable to move on to the Seatrend. Also, a lot rides on how much help and support you can get when progressing through the learning stages. Lessons from a windsurfing instructor could go a long way in getting you quickly aboard and comfortable through the notoriously frustrating beginner's curve.

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